Absorbent bandage.



i, M PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906.

w. R. GREEN.

ABSORBENT BANDAGE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 10, 1904.

[hwnzan MIX/Q20 1? Green UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD R. GREEN, OF MUSOATINEIOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN ABSORBENT FIBER COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ABSORBEN'I BANDAGE.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

To (DZ/Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD R. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Mus' catine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Absorbent Bandages, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to that class of articles commonly known as absorbent bandages, and has for its object to provide an article of that class adapted to be manufactured at a low cost and which shall be of an eflicient character.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an absorbent bandage made in accordance with my present improvements. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view in line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken in line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred form of one of the principal members of the bandage. Fig. 5 is a similar view of a modified construction of the device illustrated in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is another similar view showing a further modification of the device illus trated by Figs. 4 and 5.

Similar characters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

In absorbent bandages of the class illustrated in the drawings it is often desirable to provide means for insuring a quick absorption of fluid and semifluid material and at the same time to provide means for accelerating the distribution of the absorbed material throughout the absorptive portion of the bandage, also to prevent the accidental discharge of fluids from the bandage by undue pressure thereon. By my present improvements these advantages are obtained by means of features of construction which are simple in character and economical of manufacture.

Referring to Fig. 1, the absorptive member or members of the bandage are represented as being covered by a surface sheet or fabric 4, while such absorptive member or members are contained within and supported by some suitable meanssuch, for instance, as an ordinary coversheet, (designated in a general way by 5.) For convenience the end portions of this sheet may be folded over, as illustrated in Fig. 1, at 6 and 7 to form attaching portions for the bandage. These folded portions may be secured together by stitching or attaching devices at 8 and 9.

In Fig. 2 the lower absorbent member is indicated in a general way by 10, it being shown contained in and supported by the cover-sheet 5. The inner surface of this sheet is preferably provided with suitable waterproofing, as indicated, for instance, by the heavy line 5. Above said lower absorbent member 10 and supported thereon is an upper space member (designated in a general way by 12) having transversely-disposed spaces, preferably located in alternation, some above and some below in such space member. This feature of said upper member is well illustrated in the preferred form thereof shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in which said member 12 is represented as being made of a light kind of wire-cloth having a relatively large or open mesh and constructed of wire of small size. This or some analogous sheet material of which said space member in any particular instance is constructed may be formed with backand-forth bends and has therein a series of spaces adapted for containing additional absorptive materialas, for instance, the masses indicated by 13 and 14. In the form of the device indicated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 the masses of absorptive material 13 are located or contained in the upper spaces, while the other masses 14 are located or contained within the alternating lower spaces in said space member 12. By means of this arrangement it will be understood by a perusal of Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 that those portions of theabsorptive material which are contained in said upper spaces 13 of the member 12 are brought contiguous to the surface of the bandage, and such portions of the absorptive material as are contained within said lower spaces 14 of said space member are brought into direct contact with said lower absorbent material. A direct advantage of this arrangement is that the space member 12 being formed with openings in the walls thereof there is permitted a slight contacting of the absorbent material contained in adjacent spaces of the space member 12, while this member is made to effectively retain the absorptive material within its spaces from being subjected to undue pressure, thereby pre venting said absorbent material from being compacted or reduced in absorptive capacity.

Another feature of the present improvements relates to the manner in which the ad-' ditional absorptive material contained in the space member of the bandage is utilized along the sides of said space member for cushioning the bandage. For this purpose more especially the mass of absorbent material is formed into' an extended mass in the nature of a rope-like strand, preferably of quite loose and open texture. This strand is then folded to lie in the spaces 13 and 14. The folds or bends of such absorbent strand are shown eX- tended beyond said space member for the purpose of forming a cushioning along the sides of the same. In Fig. 4 this particular kind of space member and the folds of the strand are indicated, the bends 15 and 16 extending along the edges of the vertically-dis posed portions or walls of the space member,

y which portions or walls the transverselydisposed spaces 13 and 14, consisting of the upper s aces 13' and 13 and the lower spaces 14 an 14, are separated from each other, while made to communicate with each other through the openings 17 in said walls. This improved mode of constructing and assem bling component portions of the upper member furnishes a means for holding those portions together before such member is assembled with the other parts of the bandage during the manufacture of the same. Also the continuity thus obtained of the absorptive material contained within the successive chamber-spaces of said space member materially modifies and assists in the absorption and distribution of fluid and semifluid substances.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the bandage is shown provided with a plurality of surface sheets 4 and 4, which I prefer to make of relatively openmesh-woven fabrics. The edges of these sheets are preferably joined to the bandage along the inner edges of the cover-sheet 5 in some suitable manner analogous to that indicated in Fig. 2.

In some cases the ed es of the upper member 12 may be covered y portions 18 and 19,

Fig. 2, of the lower absorbent mass 10, being extended upwardly and around the sides of said upper member. This feature, however, may be omitted. When such additional side cushioning is employed and the said layers 18 and 19 are brought upwardly over the sides of the upper member 12, the surface sheet 4 and 4 may thereby be somewhat elevated above the upper member 12, thus forming the normal open space 20, Figs. 2 and 3, for

the purpose of securing a more free ventilation and assisting in the more rapid distribution of relatively thick fluids.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the space member 12 is represented as being formed of a sheet of material having more or less perforation, as 21, as may be desired, the sheet of material being constructed with back-and-forth bends analogous to those represented in Figs. 3 and 4. In Fig. 6 the space member is represented as being similarly formed of back-and-forth bends, in which all of the upper spaces are shown relatively broad for receiving the absorbent material, while the lower spaces, here designated as 22, are made relatively narrow, it being intended that these lower spaces will ordinarily not be filled with absorbent material, but will be left open as a means for promoting the proper and rapid distribution of the absorbent fluid.

} This special form of the space member may 1 of course be made of sheet-form material, as 1 indicated in Fig. 5, or of open-mesh material, i either metallic or otherwise, as more clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. As a material for making said space member in the forms indicated in Figs. 5 and 6 or in forms analogous thereto thin metal, either perforated or -unperforated, may sometimes be employed;

but I prefer to use a thin paper or paperboard moderately perforated andtreated with materials for rendering it at least moderately resistant to the absorption of moisjture.

An important feature of the space member in the forms herein described in connection with the drawings is that said member constitutes a side brace for the bandage in con. nection with the holding in place of the additional absorptive material.

This feature,

in connection with others already referredto,

operates on the continuous strand, bringing the outwardly-extending portions of such sheet or sheets at successive points along the length of the bandage and in alternation with the transverselydisposed areas of the side bracing member itself. By this means two distinctly different kinds and qualities of receiving-surfaoes are provided in alternating areas of relatively small size, thereby providing means for quickly absorbing thin and serum like fluids, with alternating means adapted for quickly taking up and then more slowly disposing of the thicker portions of the fluids.

Certain features illustrated herein are claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 212,897, filed June 16, 1904, and side bracing means is claimed in .my copending application, Serial No. 211,926, filed June 10, 1905.

r Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In an absorbent bandage, the combination with a side bracing member constructed with transversely-disposed spaces, of an absorbent mass formed in a strand and this folded to lie in said spaces, the folds of such absorbent mass forming cushion edges along the side-brace member.

2. In an absorbent bandage, the combination with a side bracing member constructed with transversely-disposed spaces above and below said member in alternation, of an absorbent mass forming a strand and folded to lie in said spaces and having its folded ends forming cushion edges along the sides of the side-brace member.

3. In an absorbent bandage the combination of a member folded to form transverselylocated spaces or channels, and an absorbent material in each of said transverse spaces or channels. 1

4. In an absorbent bandage, the combination with the chamber-space member, of a mass of absorbent material below said member, a strand of absorbent material disposed in transverse folds and located within the spaces of said chamber member, and suporting means for retaining said members assembled together.

5. In an absorbent bandage, the combination with a containing cover-sheet, of a lower mass of absorptive material contained in and supported by said cover-sheet, and a combined absorptive and transmitting device located above said lower mass and comprising a body of absorptive material and a space member having a series of spaces formed and separated by successive back-and-forth bends of the space member for containing the absorptive material of such combined'member and to prevent such absorptive material from being subjected to undue compression.

6. In an absorbent bandage, the combination with a flexible space member consisting of a sheet of relatively resistant, material folded to form successive transversely-disposed spaces and having openings communicating between said spaces, of an absorbent mass in the form of an extended strand disposed in said spaces, a mass of absorbent material below said space member, and means for retaining said member and the absorbent material below the same assembled together.

7. In an absorbent bandage the combination of a member having transversely-located spaces or channels, and one or more twisted strands of absorbent material disposed in said transverse spaces.

Signed at Nos. 9 to 15 Murray street, New York, N. Y., this 7th day of June, 1904.

WILLARD R. GREEN.

Witnesses FRED. J. DOLE, JOHN O. SEIFERT. 

